


Thank You

by MariaAshby64



Series: Kingdom Hearts Needs More Hugs [6]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), Feels, Friendship, Gen, Hugs, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, beach, kh3, saying goodbye, the meaning of love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 22:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18107600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariaAshby64/pseuds/MariaAshby64
Summary: Maybe Naminé didn't understand love in her past life, but maybe she could learn to understand it now.KH3 spoliers. Read at your own risk.





	Thank You

**Author's Note:**

> Naminé Request from Argen_Lobo_Ridder. Hope you enjoy.

The first thing that Naminé was ever told, was that she was a monster.

A witch, a mistake, a nobody.

And she believed them.

She was always kept alone in her prison of white walls. Endless hallways, tall and stretching away into nothingness.  Like huge blank slates, holding her in.

She didn’t like the blank slates.

And so she drew.

At first she drew her memories. An island far away, running along sandy beaches, sea salt in the air, seagulls calling in the sky. And there were people too. People who smiled, laughed with her, played with her, held her when she cried. People who promised to protect her.

Oh how she longed to be protected.

Maybe that was why she agreed to it? When they asked her to rearrange Sora’s, memories. Maybe she wanted someone to care for her? She put her hopes and dreams into those drawings while she worked, taking apart Sora’s mind and replacing his memories with herself. Rewiring him to care for her.

For a while she convinced herself that this was alright. That her captors would let her go to live this life.

But then they asked her to do it again.

This time to another boy. With copied heart that bet in his chest.

And Naminé did. Breaking him and remaking him. She watched him crumple to the ground before her as she carved her will into him. And when he rose and knelt before her, swearing his life to her, she tried to tell herself that everything would be okay.

But deep down she knew it wouldn’t.

She couldn’t ignore the twists in her gut as she watched these two boys tear themselves apart for her. How they fought to ‘protect’ her when they should have been protecting themselves. It didn’t feel right.

Years later she would recognise this feeling as guilt. It was an emotion she became rather familiar with.

Her actions could not easily be undone. The boy, Sora, was forced to sleep for over a year. As she worked on repairing his chain of memories, more people got dragged into the mess that she had created. She took the life of his Nobody, Roxas. Taking his life away from him. Forcing his best friend to make a terrible choice. Always telling herself that it had to be done, that she had no choice.

And the replica? The Replica disappeared.

She did meet his Other though. A boy named Riku, harbouring the powers of both light and darkness. He was kind. Even after she had put his best friend to sleep, after his face had changed because of the darkness in his heart, after DiZ’s orders to make her disappear; He had still kept her safe.

And then even he left.

Sometimes Naminé wondered how people were so temporary. Like they never stayed long enough to care, or didn’t care long enough to stay.

 

\---  

 

When she first woke, up after being recompleted, all she could see was light. Then, as her vision slowly came back to her, she began to register the room around her. And then the people in it, the people who had smiled at her. She still remembered the gentle arm on her shoulder as Ansem the Wise knelt down next to her, speaking the first words she’d hear in her new life;

“Oh Naminé, I’m so glad you’re awake.”

 

She was glad when Riku came to pick her up.

Staying in Radiant Garden was strange. She still had fragments of Kairi’s distant past. It felt weird being nostalgic of a place she had never been to before. After about a week she needed a change of scene. She knew where she wanted to go. She wanted to walk along those sunny beaches, wash her toes in the waves and leave her own footprint in the sand.

Riku came early morning, flying a gummie ship. He offered her his hand to help her aboard in a grand gesture. She smiled as she took it, calling him sweet. Riku blushed. Naminé guested he still wasn’t used to talking to girls that weren’t his best friend.

“It’s nothing,” he mumbled as she shut the door behind him.

The stars were beautiful. She watched them as they whizzed by, imagining all the worlds they belonged to. It wasn’t long before a familiar light appeared on the horizon. A world with clear blue oceans, green palms and a shining sun.

Destiny Islands.

When they left the ship Naminé took a deep breath, smelling the salt from the waves. She laughed, jogging down to where the grass turned into sand, taking her sandals off to feel the dirt between her toes. When she looked up she saw the distant figures of people already milling out on the beach, many familiar faces mixed within them.

“Naminé!” A small blond boy called as he ran over. “It’s so good to see you again.”

Before Naminé could even respond the boy, Roxas, pulled an arm around her and spun around to face the others. “Hey, Lea! Xion! Naminé’s here!”

“I can see that.” Lea smirked, hands in pockets. He glanced over at Naminé, “Glad to be back on the islands?”

“Yes,” Naminé nodded, “It’s been a long time.”

Lea opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to lose the right words, so his jaw ended up flapping a bit.

“It’s okay Lea,” Naminé spoke for him, “You don’t need to apologise.”

“Huh?” Lea balked “How did you know-“

“I could still see things while being inside Kairi’s heart,” Naminé explained.

“Oh,” Lea blushed, running a hand through his hair.

“I told you, you apologise too much” Xion nudged his side. She looked Naminé in the eye, “Besides, it’s all in the past now right?”

Naminé paused before nodding. She guessed this was Xion letting her know that she didn’t harbour any bad thought on what had happened to her.

“Yeah.” Naminé smiled. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Thank you.”

“Come on, you have _got_ to meet the others.” Roxas skittered over the sand, “Bet I can race you all down there!”

“Bet you can’t.” Riku grinned as he jogged to catch up to him.

“Is that a challenge beach boy?” Roxas called back.

And then they were all sprinting over the sand, racing to the waters edge. Laughing as the boys tried to wrestle for first place. It was Xion who won in the end, after all the guys had taken each other out by cheating. They lay wiped out on the sand.

“Boys, am I right?” Xion shook her. Naminé giggled.

“They’re always getting themselves into trouble.” She agreed.

“Hey, do you want to look for shells?” Xion suddenly pipped up. “There are these beautiful ones that you can find here. The colours are amazing.”

Naminé was about to comment that she had already seen plenty of shells, while she was with Kairi, but she realised that Xion already knew that. Instead she was offering time to just… hang out, as friends. She’d never gotten the opportunity before. Naminé smiled.

“I’d love to.”

They spent the afternoon together, musing over the different shaped shells they could find. Later they joined Riku and the others. Naminé officially got to know Ventus, Aqua and Terra. They shared stories together into the late evening. By the time the first stars were being to shine, a new feeling was blossoming in Naminé’s heart.

Contentment.

 

When the others were ready leave, Naminé stayed a moment, looking out across the ocean.

“You ready to go?” Riku asked, walking up to her.

“Almost,” Naminé replied quietly, stepping out onto the sand. “I just need a minute alone.”

Riku followed her gaze to the water, suddenly understanding. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Naminé gave a small smile in thanks before making her way to where the waves met the shore. She stood there, breeze lightly tousling her hair as she listened to the sounds of the night.

“I know you’re there.” She spoke softly.

“I guess I couldn't let myself fade away just yet.”

Naminé turned to face the familiar figure that had appeared beside her. He was just visible in the low light, his form fading in and out. Silver hair falling just short of his light blue eyes and settling across his shoulders. He still wore that same blue and black outfit she had seen him in all those years ago. The heartless emblem upon his chest. Just seeing him in front of her brought a tide of emotions in Naminé’s heart.

“Riku…” Tears began to well in her eyes. The memories of all the horrible things she had done to him all those years ago came flooding back.

The Replica reached out with a glowing transparent hand and cupped the side of her face. He phased right through her but she could still feel its presence there.

“You don’t have to cry for me,” Riku assured her. “I’ve made peace with my fate.”

“But you shouldn’t have to,” Naminé shook her head. “You didn’t need to give up the replica body for me. I could have-“

“Even with Kairi’s power of light running through you, your heart still would have faded before they could make another for you.” He sounded so calm. Too calm for someone who had only known torment and pain for most of his life.

“It’s not fair,” Naminé stared at the sand. “Everyone else gets a happy ending.”

“And who says I’m not happy?” Riku tilted his head. “I’m happy knowing that you’re safe now.”

“But you don’t really mean that.” Naminé took a step away from the replica. His hand fell back to his side. “That’s just what I programmed into your heart.”

“Maybe it used to be.” Riku agreed. “But we both know I was released from that promise a long time ago.”

“I don’t understand.” Naminé stared at him. “Why do this for me?”

Riku paused and gazed out at the gentle waves on the horizon.

“Naminé,” he spoke slowly, “Do you understand what love is?”

“Love?” Naminé asked. Sure she knew about love. She had felt Kairi’s love for Sora, and her best friend Riku. She had seen friends make sacrifices for each other, and seen friends bond together. She had witnessed love as it tore down enemies, or when it brought lost friends home. But no, she had never experience it herself.

“I had no one to love me when I was alive,” Riku continued. “I don’t want another Replica or Nobody to feel like I did. Like they can’t be loved.”

“Riku…” Naminé began to speak but paused as the replica turned to face her.

“Even if you don’t understand love just yet, trust me, stick around with that group and you’ll figure it out soon enough.” He gave her a smirk. A smile that Naminé returned lightly.

“I will,” She promised. “And I’ll make sure that no other Replica or Nobody gets hurt like you did.”

Riku’s expression softened.

“Now that, would make me happy.”

He started to fade. The sand on the other side of him becoming more and more visible. Leaving the Realm of Light for good.

“Wait!” Naminé stepped forward and threw her arms around his enthral form. Even if she couldn’t hug him properly, the intent was there. Holding the space where he should be while she squeezed her eyes shut. “Thank you.” She breathed.

Riku smiled as he surrounded her. He was warm. Not warm like the sunshine on a clear day, but warm like a heavy blanket that tucked you into bed on a rainy night.

“Oh and one last thing,” Riku said as he disappeared. “Tell that idiot standing over there to look out for himself every once and a while.”

Naminé let out a small chuckle. “It’s a promise.”

When she opened her eyes he was gone.

The real Riku was waiting for her when she returned.

“Everything turn out alright?” He asked as they made their way to the gummie ship.

“Yeah,” She walked calmly beside him, turning to take one last look at the waves. “He said you should take care of yourself more often.”

“Oh did he now?” Riku hummed, half amused, “I guess it would be wrong to ignore advice from my other self.”

 

Naminé was a little sad to leave destiny islands so soon. But as she watched the lights of all the other worlds in the universe pass by she thought about all of her new friends living out there among them.

“I’m not alone anymore.”

Maybe Naminé didn't understand love in her past life, but maybe she could learn to understand it now.

**Author's Note:**

> Repliku gets to be called Riku here cause I don't think they call him anything else in cannon
> 
>  
> 
> Boy you have NO idea how long it took for me to decide who Naminé got to have a hung with.  
> I kept cycling between Riku, Roxas and Xion, whether should get a hug from each of them, or get a group hug.  
> Then I thought about Repliku and was like "Well screw cannon. Naminé should get to say goodbye."
> 
>  
> 
> If you like my writing or want to make a request please comment below. :)


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